


Gentle Palms, Worn Hands

by ColdNeon



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Matchmaker Shikamaru, Neji is a lightweight, Porn With Plot, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-08
Updated: 2015-11-08
Packaged: 2018-04-30 16:01:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5169887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ColdNeon/pseuds/ColdNeon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tenten has always trusted him to have her back. He's always been watching her. The two have reached their breaking point.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gentle Palms, Worn Hands

**Author's Note:**

> I got really strong NejiTen vibes and this happened.  
> Welp.

It was late in the evening when Neji Hyūga knocked on Tenten’s door. She blearily answered the door; her eye’s blurry from her late nap. “May I come in?” Ignoring his stuffy formality, she grabbed him by his kimono and shunted him into her lounge. He quietly moved to a seat at her counter, looking oddly nervous. It’d been a while since she’d seen him so awkward. The man clearly wanted to discuss something, but Neji was fidgeting so much that she could have mistaken him for a younger Hinata.

“So are you going to tell me why you rocked up at my place in the middle of the night?” Neji snapped to attention and hummed quietly.

“I, uh, heard that you were going on a date tomorrow. With a man.” Ah. The only times she’d ever seen Neji stuttered where when he was inquiring about other people’s personal lives. He’d nearly gone into a fit when he’d heard news that his cousin had started dating Naruto. She’d laughed harder than anything at the sight of Neji freakin’ Hyūga so flustered.

“So, in your ever-loving sense of wisdom, you decided to visit me in the middle of the night?” she smirked sceptically. He blushed and rubbed his thumb along his cheek. “I mean god Neji, I expected better from you.” She expected the usual deadpan response from the Hyūga, but he just uncomfortably shifted around in his seat, not making eye contact.

He muttered quietly, “I just, uh, wanted to make sure that you liked him and if you wanted me to ah. Check him out, or anything.”

This wasn’t the Neji Hyūga she was used to dealing with. At most, she’d expect him to be standoffish about the topic and want to know all the details of where she’d met this guy, how much chance there was of it turning into something serious and what his aspirations were.  He seemed to realise this and sat up straight. “Well, it seems like you’re okay with it so I guess it’ll be okay. I’ll see you for training soon then.

Just as abruptly as he’d arrived, the Hyūga stood up and quietly walked out, with a soft goodbye. Tenten stared at the closed door in shock. Was that Neji being _jealous_? Her warm brown eyes stared at the door for longer than she’d ever admit, puzzling over the odd encounter. She sighed. _That idiot._

Outside, Neji slowly slid down the door, head in his hands. Internally, he cursed his inability to sort out his feelings and say just what he’d been wanting to.  As he started to walk home, he pondered his feelings for the weapons master. When had he first realised just how he felt?

* * *

_7 years ago_

Neji quietly rested in the shadows of the tree line, quietly watching his team-mates train. Lee was as enthusiastic as ever; throwing himself headlong at the kunoichi. But today, he wasn’t focussed on his ri- _no, teammate._ The Hyūga found his eyes following the girl as she danced around, switching between launching waves of projectiles at him and dodging his lightning fast moves. Her dark hair danced around as she artfully avoided the taijutsu focussed ninja.

There was something oddly calming about watching her movements; each throw was done just right as to hit right on target, even if they were battered aside by Lee. He found himself oddly fixated by her focussed expressions. There was a continuous shifting between relaxed and determined. It was such a delicate movement that he could almost see the gears clicking in her head as she rotated between offense and defence. He felt an odd stirring in his chest and frowned. How odd.

_5 years ago_

Neji felt it happen in slow motion. He saw Hinata tackle Naruto, throwing him to the side to get out of the way of the projectiles of the 10-tails. His byakugan suddenly picked up a projectile moving too fast for normal eyes to process, speeding towards Tenten, whose back was turned. His legs started moving, far too slow as the object sped through the air. He was running at full speed but he wasn’t going to make it in time.

He leapt towards her, arms outstretched, no longer caring about his own fate. His hands made contact with her white one and he barely registered the look of shock on her face. There was a searing pain running through his body, originating from his side. There was a drip of blood and he collapsed to one knee as he processed what had happened. He’d moved just fast enough to her and by extension himself out of the way of the projectile, only for his awkward body angle to let him get hit by the stake at the last second, taking a horrible gash out of his side.

He pressed his hand to his side and looked gaunt as his raised his hand up. Tenten was screaming as he slowly fell to the ground and he could hear the pounding of footsteps on the cracked earth as Sakura caught up to them. He could see Naruto in the background looking broken as he saw the bodies of the dead surrounding them. It was odd, but all the colour was fading from his surroundings, and the last thing he felt was the soft splash of water on his face.

_Oh. I never told her how beautiful she was._

However, fate decided that he would survive that encounter, close as it was. When he woke, Tenten was tightly squeezing his hand and her eyes were filled with tears. At her side was the equally emotional Lee, who if possible, may have been crying more. Trying to sit up elicited an enormous burst of pain down his side and Neji gritted his teeth. Tenten roughly pushed him back to the ground. “Don’t. For once, just take a break.” Lying back, he wondered if he could tell her now, but the moment was gone.

* * *

Neji snapped back to the present when a call from inside a nearby drew his attention. Inside, Kiba was sitting beside Shikamaru, both holding a beer in each hand. Sighing, he entered this establishment and nodded to the both of them, before taking a seat next to them. “Hello, Shikamaru, Kiba.” Kiba’s cheeks were flushed and it was evident from the smell of alcohol on him that it was not his first drink of the night.

Shikamaru, on the other hand, was only slightly flushed and nodded in greeting. The only sign of his drunkenness came from the directness of his next question. “So why are you so late, hm? Date with Tenten?” Neji froze and looked at him in dread. Shikamaru smirked, knowing full well that he’d hit a nerve. “Ah, so not a date then. Hook-up?” Neji felt the blood rushing from his face at the Nara’s bluntness and Kiba chose this moment to apparently catch up to the conversation.

“Whaddaya mean Tenten? Neji, my man, are you dating the Ten-ster?” he slurred, grinning dopily.

“I am not dating the ‘Ten-ster’ Kiba,” he coolly responded, hoping it would be enough to dissuade the man from pushing the point further, but it seemed like shaggy-haired ninja wasn’t done yet.

“Man, she’s sooooo fit though! Like, I mean, she’s got nothing on Ino and she’s not as big in the chest as Hinata but woah, I would go there.” Shikamaru quietly laughed at the offended look on Neji’s face.

“He’s got a point though, Neji. She’s not gonna be there forever.” He chuckled before handing a small cup of sake to Neji. “Here, drink this.” Neji contemplated the alcohol. It wasn’t often that he drank but tonight was probably as good a reason as any. He downed the bitter tasting liquid and winced. Still as foul as ever. Kiba cheered and ordered a round of shots. Neji baulked. Maybe he should have kept on walking.

Time passed quickly when he was drinking and soon the trio was kicked out of the bar. Kiba was swaying so heavily that it brought Neji to a drunken giggle. Shikamaru shook his head disapprovingly and looked at the night sky as he took a long drag of his cigarette. Neji wrinkled his nose. He hated the acrid smoke and how it stuck to his clothes and he wasn’t nearly drunk enough to ignore it. Shikamaru turned to Kiba with a wicked smirk.

“Hey Kiba, old buddy. Do you know who would love a visit?” Kiba’s head cocked slightly before he raised a hand.

“Ohhh, you. You are a smart guy Shika. I bet Ino would love to see me right now. She’s all about parties!” Neji hesitated to tell Kiba that it was nearing 4am and he’d probably draw the blonde kunoichi’s ire rather than a positive reaction. With a drunken belch, Kiba staggered off down the street, stumbling from side to side. Shikamaru set his dark eyes on Neji next and the Hyūga felt a cold chill run through him.

“Now you, Mr. Hyūga are going to go and see Tenten and tell her how you feel, right?” Neji quietly pondered before nodding. He slowly set off; one hand on the wall to make sure the ground didn’t shift underneath him. Shikamaru shook his head, before the quiet cracking of dirt made him turn. A blonde Kunoichi stood there with a disapproving look on her face.

“Are you waking up all my friends with their drunken nonsense?” sighed Temari.

“Well, I had to give them a bit of a push; I couldn’t stand to listen to the both of them moping about how they weren’t getting anywhere.” She shrugged and looped an arm around him.

“Fair enough. I’m sure they’ll either appreciate you helping their love lives, or they’ll come and beat you up. I’m not sure which the better option is.”

He grumbled. “It’s always troublesome with you.”

She smirked, biting a light kiss into his neck. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

* * *

Neji swayed softly in front of the plain blue door. It both beckoned and terrified him at the same time. Slowly, he raised his hand delicately and knocked once on the door. Only, in his drunken state, he laced his palm with chakra and put his hand straight through the door. He stared dumbly at it for a few moments. There was a shout and the door exploded open and a furious Tenten confronted the very shocked drunk with a look of fury upon her face.

It melted the instant she saw who it was. Softly she closed her eyes, and counted to ten (Ironically). He almost giggled at just how funny that was. Shaking his head to focus himself back in, he smiled lopsidedly. “Hey Ten’ can I come in?” She rubbed her hands over her face for a few moments, obviously trying to wake herself up from her stupor before nodding tiredly and pushing him through the doorway.

This time, he didn’t sit down and turned to face her as she came in. He could do this! He knew he could and it wasn’t only the alcohol surging through him. He grabbed her by her shoulders and brought his white eyes to meet her deep brown ones and smiled. “Tenten. I like you.”

The silence was palpable. The kunoichi’s eyes were soft and a light blush filled her cheeks. She raised her hand to meet his cheek. “Took you long enough, you proud idiot.” She turned her back to him and walked towards her couch, tugging him with her hand. He hadn’t even realised that she’d taken hold of it. He really _had_ drunk too much.

As he was pulled down to the couch, he found his lips meeting hers. It was so soft. It wasn’t his first kiss, no. That had gone to one of his distant cousins in the Hyūga clan when he was 7. This was different. There was so much push behind it that he felt a huge surge in his chest. He hand was once again on his cheek and he felt himself gasp as their lips parted.

“I, how, when?” His words fell from his lips in a jumble and she smiled at his drunken confusion.

“Since the first day,” she whispered into his ear and he felt his skin rise into goose bumps. He shivered and then the kissing started again, their lips clenched tight. An odd drunk thought fluttered through his mind’s eye, wondering if Kiba’s meeting with Ino had gone as well.

* * *

“Inooooooooo-chaaaaaaaan,” slurred Kiba as he repetitively knocked on her door. “C’mooon, it’s Kiba.” He barked to make it clear who it was. The door opened and a huge botany tome smacked him in the chest and knocked him over the railing onto the street below. She sighed in relief and walked back inside.

* * *

Tenten’s mind was whirring at a million miles an hour. Not only was she finally kissing Neji, but he was doing it willingly. This wasn’t something that close friends did, no way! His hands were starting to explore her, running over her baggy shirt, legs and face. When he traced a soft pattern on her neck using only his lips, the smallest of squeaks passed her lips. Even drunk, he knew what he was doing.

It was only then that she realised that his hands were a lot more adventurous than expected, with his right hand slowly tracing patterns into her side. It wasn’t anything overly sexual but she found herself flushing from the contact. She’d only ever gone this far with a drunken Suna-nin at a bar one night and she could only remember vague parts of the whole night. This felt so much more natural and wanted that she sank into it. Her own hand slipped inside his kimono and ran down his side, feeling the rough scar.

He groaned softly at the touch and she smiled. They stayed like that a while, simply exploring each other’s body, touching and softly giggling into each other’s necks. It was warming, and not too threatening. But as their confidence grew, so did the hunger. Neji’s teeth scraped on her neck and her hand ran down his waist, drawing a teasing circle across his hips. He groaned and pushed against her tightly. She didn’t realise just how sensitive the hard man could be.

Ever since she’d known him, he’d had this cool façade. It was always there, never breaking. He had compassion sure, but he never really lost that cool. Now to see him, so willingly exposed for her: it was like all her dreams were coming true at once. His hands slowly tugged at her baggy shirt and she smiled, lifting it over her head, content to let things happen as they were.

His hands were gentle they ran up her toned stomach and gently touch her bra. He was so delicate that she could have mistaken the lightness of his touch for that of a soft breeze. His lips pressed against the top of her cleavage and she arced back, letting him fall on top of her with a puff of breath. The two giggled. Even Tenten in her tired state was enjoying the flow of everything. There was no rush. She’d tried everything she could with the boy, but was unsure of whether confessing would be the best approach. So, with some help from Sakura and Temari, she’d fabricated the rumour about her going on a date.

When Neji had rocked up earlier, she’d expected him to break. To come forth with the reason for his worry. But he’d left quietly and she’d felt a wave of disappointment. Of course, when he’d returned, unceremoniously punching a hole in the door, she’d realised that maybe, just maybe she’d get somewhere. And here they were, intertwined and giggling like teenagers. His touches were filled with so much love that she could burst. There was something in the way that he touched her and treasured each contact that made her chest flush and her breath hitch.

Her hands trailed down his waist, growing bolder and as she made contact with his inner thigh, her eyes widened. She could feel him growing harder at her touch and she smirked. “Well, seems like rumours are true and the Hyūga _are_ the strongest in the leaf,” she whispered in a sultry voice. Neji looked perturbed and she started laughing so hard that she fell off the couch and onto the floor. He propped himself up with his elbow and looked at her. She got back up and offered her hand to him.

There was a moment’s hesitation before he took her hand and followed her to her bedroom. She turned back to him, kissing him once, before pulling him down onto her messy bed with a smile. He accepted and pulled her into a tight embrace, his legs clumsily tangling with hers. She smiled and kissed him once more, before tugging at his kimono. His eye’s widened and he untied it with his slightly shaking hands, showing himself to her. He was quite obviously nervous about it and she smirked. Good to know there was one thing he wasn’t confident in. She took in his naked body as he threw his outfit to the floor.

He was well toned and his muscles were evident to see. All the taijutsu and Gentle Fist training had obviously taken its impact on his body. She ran a hand over his right pectoral, smiling at the taut muscle. Content that she’d made him suffer long enough, she grabbed him by the band of his underwear and pulled him close once again, before tugging them down. He softly murmured a question, too quiet for her to hear and she shook her head. She just wanted the feeling of them being naked together. Anything else was just an added bonus.

His underwear got tangled around his foot and he kicked them to the side, his own hands starting to fiddle around with her simple bra and underwear. She didn’t let him suffer for too long, simply pulling them down and pushing them to the side. Her bra took a bit more manoeuvring, but soon enough they were tightly pressed together, feeling their nakedness.

She could feel his dick pressing against her thigh and she softly squeezed her legs around it, feeling him groan. As she slowly rubbed back and forth, his moans were controlled by the movement. After settling her movements down and letting go, she pulled his face close to hers.

“Can we not have sex tonight?”

“Okay.”

The two fell asleep, holding each other tightly while quietly whispering to each other all the way into unconsciousness. Soon, there was nothing more than the soft sounds of their breathing in the bedroom and the night finally ended, giving way to the new day.


End file.
